LAREDO, Texas -- Late summer showers could not dampen the resolve of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Laredo Port of Entry this weekend as they shone brightly in terms of enforcement activity, seizing nearly $3 million in hard narcotics and uncovering 21 violations of immigration law.
“Our officers kept busy this weekend with an unrelenting flurry of hard narcotics seizures and discovery of numerous immigration law violations,” said Laredo CBP Port Director Joseph Misenhelter. “This brisk amount of enforcement activity exemplifies the border security aspect of our mission and demonstrates our commitment to keep our community safe.”
The larger of the two narcotics seizures occurred Sept. 13 at Gateway to the Americas Bridge.
CBP officers discovered 22 packages containing a total of nearly 54 pounds of alleged cocaine hidden within a 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 pickup driven by a 28-year-old female U.S. citizen from Austin during a routine examination. The cocaine has an estimated street value of $1.7 million.
The other seizure occurred on Sept. 14 at Lincoln-Juarez Bridge when CBP officers referred a 2002 Chevy Malibu driven by a 35-year-old male Mexican citizen from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico for a secondary examination. CBP officers discovered 36 packages containing a total of nearly 38 pounds of alleged methamphetamine hidden within the vehicle. The estimated street value for the narcotics is $1.2 million.
CBP Field Operations at Laredo Port of Entry is part of the South Texas Campaign, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations.